WRITING PROMPT 34
I Am on a Healing Journey by Learning to Sing
And you should learn, too
Music has a universal language. It is a language of bottled-up emotions, desires, longings, pangs of separation, ambition, and prayer. Perhaps it is the only language in the world that all people understand, irrespective of their mother tongue.
When we cannot find a word for our helplessness or unhappiness, we return to our good old music.
Ask a hopeless lover.
Ask a sad person who is going through a traumatic heartbreak.
Ask a grieving person who has lost his near and dear one to the inevitable end of mankind.
They all have something in common. All of them have their specially curated music list on their favorite app. Such is the healing power of music that in the darkest of days, we find solace by listening to it.
I admit I am no exception. I have had a favorite playlist since time immemorial. I have a fixation with good, slow, soothing music. Music gives me peace, heals me, and inspires me.
For me, there is no right place, appropriate time, or specific mood to listen to music. Every waking moment is my music time.
I find myself retreating to the world of tunes when I am traveling on a crowded bus. I Hook on my favorite playlist while walking in the evening. I can go so far as to say that the stylish headphones I own are my lean-back companion, my most trusted friend. It knows when I am happy, lonely, or stressed.
Make no mistake, I love loud music on Bluetooth speakers as well, especially when I am alone in the house. This makes me feel like a friend is in the house, even though no one is present. I am alone, but I am not lonely when I have the companionship of good music.
However, it turns out that I am not content with listening to music alone; I want to learn and master it. I don’t get particular pleasure in the audience seat, eclipsed. I love the spotlight, and if I don't get it, I sulk. Funny as it may sound, but at best, I am an ordinary singer who only sings when I know nobody is listening. Yes, I repeat that when nobody else is listening!
To expand my story further, let me introduce you to another occasional friend-—an old brown notebook. This is a little corner of my world where I put down my messy thoughts and do occasional journaling. This is expected of a writer. However, what is remarkable about this notebook is that it is also the place where I jot down my New Year's Resolutions with extreme enthusiasm. I swear every year that it will be different this time, and I will be able to strike out all of those. Unfortunately, only a few of those get to see the daylight of today. “Learn Good Singing” is just one of the many entries that get passed on yearly with little action. Even this year, this is present in the list in bold letters.
The question is, would it remain a silent resolution only to be passed on to the next year, or would I be able to strike it off the list? That brings me to the question—when is the right time to start?
I just realized there is no better time to start healing and start a spiritual journey through singing.
It will never happen if I wait for the perfect time.
Why not now? Right now?
I stumbled upon this prompt from Nancy Blackman, and it rekindled my fire. I would like to thank her for the prompt and for reigniting my desire to learn. It’s already July, and the first half of the year has passed. If I have any hope of following through with my New Year's Resolution, it is now.
Before I sign off, I would like to point to an article by Marco Breuer where he describes how important it is to be grateful for all the things that we have.
Dear reader, keep reading, keep healing!
Thank you!
